The Energy Action Coalition will meet Friday to discuss Alaska’s natural gas prospects and opportunities. We will outline a potential CWN study report on the various natural gas projects in Alaska and recommendations for the incoming administration.

Wednesday, December 12thThe Dena’ina Centernoon-1:30pm

Each year in December, we invite the next year’s legislature to be our guests at this luncheon. Traditionally the Senate President and Speaker of the House keynote this event to present their legislative priorities for the upcoming session. Then, several rounds of table conversations, you will have the opportunity to discuss the critical issues facing our state with legislators. Each legislator is seated at a table with about nine participants. After 15-20 minutes of conversation, legislators change to an adjacent table for the next round of discussion and so on. It’s a great format, and we always get positive feedback from legislators and our members who find this exchange information and opinions to be a valuable experience.

This is not a campaign event or a cross-examination. It’s a chance for well-informed Alaskans to discuss vital policy issues with each other in advance of the 2019 legislative session.

We had an excellent turnout last year with a third of the legislature in attendance. This is a unique chance for you to have open and unscripted conversations with our members.

Commonwealth North will host a program on food security in Alaska and what it means in terms of public policy. According to a report commissioned by DHSS, 95% of the $2 billion of food Alaskans purchase is imported. Moreover, our food is shipped through long supply chains. Essential items arrive by airplane, barge, and truck from Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the Lower 48. Alaska’s vulnerable supply chain is sensitive to fuel prices and can be disrupted by natural disasters or severe weather. Food prices for Alaskans are affected by high transportation costs, especially in rural communities, and commercial farming in Alaska faces a number of unique challenges in order to be successful.

This program will examine what Alaska can do to enhance local food production and make it an economically sustainable industry and viable option for Alaskan consumers. Locally grown food production could also be an economic engine by creating new jobs and keeping more Alaskan dollars in the state.

Our guest speakers will include Ed Fogels, natural resource consultant and former Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources; and Johanna Herron, Market Access and Food Safety Manager, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture. Additional panelists to be announced.

Commonwealth North is proud to welcome U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski to give us an update on the latest news from Washington, D.C., and an analysis of the implications of the November elections for Alaska.

Senator Murkowski is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she is the Chairman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. Senator Murkowski is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – the first Alaskan to serve on that panel – and also is a senior member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

We will continue our discussion of the Permanent Fund and potential report recommendations. We will be joined by Craig Richards, Chairman of the Alaska Permanent Fund Board of Trustees, and former Alaska Attorney General.

If you have not yet done so, I recommend reviewing the following links that have been the subject of our recent meetings.

Co-chair Eric Wohlforth and study group member Brian Hove previously circulated memos to the group exploring several discussion points regarding the Permanent Fund. We will discuss them in detail at tomorrow’s meeting. We will also discuss potential recommendations for a study group report and additional guest speakers the group may want to hear from.

Commonwealth North is proud to once again host the internationally award winning University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolf Debate Team. In past years, the Seawolf debate team has performed engaging and upbeat debates before the Commonwealth North membership and we are pleased to welcome the team back again this year to address another important public policy topic.

This year the team will debate both sides of the motion, “The State of Alaska should always prioritize renewable resources over non-renewable resources.” The debate will include controversial topics such as the Stand for Salmon ballot initiative, Pebble Mine, and others. In the traditional debate style, the audience will be invited to join in with the energy of the debate by cheering for the arguments that are particularly clever and effective. We will also poll the audience before and after the debate to gauge how the team’s arguments can sway public opinion. Join Commonwealth North and the UAA debate team for a rousing and fun afternoon of discussion and well-reasoned arguments.

Commonwealth north has long been an advocate of debate and public dialogue to address the vital public policy issues facing our state. Regularly hosting the University of Alaska Anchorage debate team is one way we encourage public policy discussions and also showcase the talent of some of Alaska’s future leaders.